The leaders of the Democratic Party for the People and Komeito, both of which voted against the consumption tax cut bill in the Lower House, criticized the government on Tuesday, pointing to four LDP lawmakers who left the chamber before the vote, including former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
The bill goes to the Upper House for debate from Wednesday. It would cut the consumption tax rate on food and drink from 8% to 1% for two years from next April.
Tamaki: the walkout proves the bill falls short
DPFP leader Yuichiro Tamaki told a party meeting that the departures were "proof that this bill has not become something we can accept," Sankei Shimbun reported.
He also said the scope and amounts of a new income-linked benefit in the bill, the employment burden reduction support payment, remain unclear.
Tamaki said his party would keep arguing in the Upper House for its own alternative, which combines a resident tax cut with cash benefits.
Okamoto: fix the whole bill first
Komeito leader Mitsunari Okamoto told a news conference that the bill had reached the point where "influential people in the LDP have no choice but to abstain."
“Revising and reviewing the whole bill so that it can be deliberated is the top priority.”Mitsunari Okamoto, Komeito leader
Okamoto listed the bill's problems: the effect of the tax cut as prices keep rising, and who qualifies for the support payment.
He said the bill was "not sufficient as it stands" and asked whether its contents were "too empty."
On revision talks, Okamoto said the gap was not one that could be closed by fixing a single point. He called on the government to present a package that answers the questions the opposition raised during Lower House debate.